Tag Archives: Europe

Spain: Movimiento por la Paz produces educational material for secondary schools on the culture of peace

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from El Faradio (reprinted according to attributes of Creative Commons) (translation by CPNN)

The association Movimiento por la Paz, a member of the Cantabrian Coordinator of NGOs, has produced teaching material aimed especially at secondary education teaching staff with the aim of promoting a culture of peace.

The materials are part of a broader project that they have been developing through various channels (courses, training, exhibitions, social networks…) of the “five paths to peace”.

The culture of peace is made up of all the values, behaviors, attitudes, practices, feelings and beliefs that make up peace. But peace must be understood in a positive sense, as the overcoming of any type of violence, and not only as the absence of war. This is stated in Law 27/2005, of November 30, on “Promotion of Education and the Culture of Peace”.

To promote the culture of peace, tutors and teachers have two invaluable resources: a space and a group of young people with whom they can develop the commitment to build a more peaceful world. To promote this commitment, we focus on five areas: cultural diversity, gender equality, fight against poverty, care for the environment and Human Rights. The five paths to peace.

The socio-affective approach requires a coherence among the ideas, attitudes and behaviors that we want to transmit and the methodology that is used. It can be said that it is a vehicle for achieving honesty, for reviewing one’s own personal values, both for the people who facilitate the process and for the rest of the participants.

On the other hand, it invites positioning and commitment to reality, the assumption of responsibilities, to participate in the transformation of what we do not like in the world where we live.

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

This is easier to do in company, because it generates interaction, participation, effective communication, trust, mutual knowledge, and empathy. It is a way of working that produces collective thought, knowledge and action.

Another argument that justifies the use of this methodology is the need for an education that connects us with the emotional level. Feelings are part of cognitive processes and condition our attitudes and behaviors. Conflicts must be resolved or transformed positively on an emotional level. Feelings allow us to know more about ourselves and about other people.

The socio-affective approach is nourished by the techniques of group dynamics, but it is a free space for experimentation that allows reflection.

The objective is that through feeling, thinking and acting, we favor the creation of a citizenry that feels part of the same community, that cares about collective issues and that develops a commitment to the local and the global.

The techniques include the creation of conscious groups that develop their own decision-making processes and, therefore, reflection.

Click here for the guide with the materials

MPDL

Movimiento por la Paz -MPDL- is a Development, Humanitarian Action and Social Action organization created in 1983. It is a member of the Cantabrian Coordinator of NGOs. Currently, it has a presence inside and outside our borders with more than 200 projects.

The delegation of the NGO in Cantabria, founded in 2007, works for Human Rights and the Culture of Peace with programs of International Protection, legal advice, labor advice, volunteering and education and awareness.

Training is one of its main lines of work. They also respond to queries on topics such as the management of unemployment benefits, information on labor rights during the State of Emergency, on training resources in Cantabria, knowledge about job search routes and the preparation of the curriculum vitae.

The organization also offers advice on immigration processes, deadlines, requirements to obtain documentation, work permit, nationality or any other legal doubt that may arise, at the contact: jm.carmona@mpdl.org. They also continue to report on the rights of Domestic Workers, requirements that must be met for hiring, salaries, conditions, calculation of settlement.

And the organization is an information point for women, receiving consultations, providing care or informing about resources for women who have suffered or suffer gender violence.

Environmental and Farmers Organizations in Italy Stop Government Attempt to Give Green Light to GMOs and NBTs

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Navdanya International

Twenty six farmers organisations, environmental movements and consumer associations in Italy collectively launched a powerful campaign this week, which prevented the government from passing 4 bills inspired by the agribusiness lobby. The bills were  proposed by the Minister of Agriculture, and were set to permit GMOs and other New Breeding Techniques (NBT) to enter the country.

After an intense media storm and direct public pressure placed on every single parliamentarian of  the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber, the pro GMO/NBT decrees of the Ministry of Agriculture were not passed in their original form. Instead, the bills were strongly conditioned and therefore voided of all parts concerning GMOs and NBTs, as well as of the restrictions to free exchange of seeds. The attempt behind the decrees was aimed at forcing an illegitimate opening to “old” and “new” GMOs (new being NBTs) and to deny the possibility for farmers to carry out activities such as reusing seeds, and the exchange of part of the harvest as seeds or propagation material.

“Thanks to the openness of the rapporteurs in charge of the dialogue with organic farmers’ organizations, environmental and consumer associations, and the support of the members of the Chamber’s Agriculture Committee, this attempt has been foiled for the moment.” This is the comment of the associations that started the mobilization after the Senate – instead – passed the bills during the Christmas holidays, right in  the middle of the pandemic’s upswing. Not surprisingly, the mainstream media did not report the news. Right after the Chamber’s vote,  the Agriculture Minister, Teresa Bellanova resigned, starting a political crisis in Italy. Nevertheless, the same minister, in the days before the vote, had made a last attempt to save her bills, advocating that NBTs are not GMOs. A position that was  already discharged by the Court of Justice of the European Union on July 25, 2018.

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Question for this article:

What is the relation between movements for food sovereignty and the global movement for a culture of peace?

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As the associations underline in their press release, “The ugly chapter of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s recommendations has been overcome. The future Minister of Agriculture will be called to respect the constraints imposed by the opinions expressed in the Chamber. For all of them, in fact, it is asked that the sentence of the European Court of Justice is respected, which established that the rules existing today for GMOs are also applied to NBTs without exceptions or derogations, as well as that all references to GMOs in the decrees under examination are removed. Therefore, confirming the nature of Italy as a GMO-free country.”

Nevertheless the corporate assault is not over. As Navdanya International detailed in a recent article – The lobby behind Italy’s opening to GMOs – following the publication of the Court of Justice’s judgment, the European Union has been subject to incessant lobbying pressure from the United States and other trading partners for NBTs to not be absorbed by the existing GMO legislation. Commenting on the multiple defeats of agribusiness, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, defined the European Court’s ruling as “regressive and untimely”, announcing the willingness of his ministry to “redouble efforts” to convince European partners to change their approach. The meeting between Sonny Perdue and the Minister of Agriculture Teresa Bellanova took place at the end of January 2020 in Rome. NBTs were not missing among the topics of the meeting. This was the Italian Minister’s stance on the subject after the meeting: “Above all, I consider the importance of the collaboration in research and innovation, with particular regard to innovative techniques of plant genomics. We are also working at European level to make a clear distinction between these techniques and transgenic genetic modification.” A position, once again, defiant of the Court of Justice’s pronouncement.

As we celebrate the success of the Italian campaign, we must still underline the fact that the danger is not over, in Italy, in Europe, or in the rest of the world. The agribusiness lobby and their political allies will not stop their attempts to appropriate farmers seeds and people’s food, but this Italian movement has shown us a way to stop them. As Vandana Shiva, president of Navdanya International, commented learning the result of the vote in the Italian Chamber: “What happened is big, not just for Italy but for the world.”

Spain: Sierra Blanca achieves second place in the Annual Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace and School Coexistence

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Marbella Directo

The Ministry of Education and Sports has distinguished the Sierra Blanca de Marbella Secondary Education Institute with second place in the Annual Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace and School Coexistence for the 2020/21 academic year, which have recognized a total of eight centers throughout the autonomous community.


Children from La Escuela Infantil Sol de Portocarrero

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

The center has shared this second prize with the Carlos V school in La Línea de la Concepción. The first prize has also been shared and has gone to the Sol de Portocarrero Infant School in Las Norias de Daza (Almería) and the Malala de Mairena del Aljarafe school (Seville). The two third prizes have been awarded to the Andrés de Cervantes de Cabra school (Córdoba) and the Francisco de los Cobos Institute in Úbeda (Jaén).

In addition, the Purísima Concepción de Granada Private Teaching Center for Special Education and the Adersa I Rural Public Center in Fuenteheridos (Huelva) have been recognized with honorable mentions.



The objective of these awards is to publicly recognize and disseminate the best practices that are being carried out in the school environment to promote a culture of peace and the comprehensive training of students to achieve a more just and tolerant society, as well as peaceful conflict resolution and dialogue.



The Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace constitute one of the initiatives of the Ministry aimed at improving coexistence in educational centers, among which is also the network “School: Space for Peace” made up of more than 2,400 schools and institutes. This means that around 650,000 students and 61,200 teachers participate in this initiative that involves all sectors of the educational community.

U.N. rights boss urges withdrawal of article in French draft security law

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article from Reuters (reprinted by permission)

United Nations human rights boss Michelle Bachelet called on Wednesday [9 December] for the withdrawal of a draft law in France known as “Article 24” that would curb freedom to share images identifying police.


photo from Al Jazeera

Questions related to this article:

Can the United Nations protect human rights?

France has been hit by a wave of street protests after the government introduced a security bill in parliament that set out to increase its surveillance tools and restrict rights on circulating images of police officers in the media and online. (See CPNN November 29 and November 23)

In a recent U-turn, French President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party said it would rewrite the article that curbs rights to circulate images of police officers.

“The law has to be discussed by the French people,” Bachelet told a Geneva news conference. “But it’s the Article 24, the one we are really concerned about. And that’s why we are mentioning that should be reviewed and should be, I guess, withdrawn”.

Click here for the French version)

Madrid : Fifth edition of the Film and Human Rights Festival

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Soy de Madrid

The V edition of the International Film and Human Rights Festival begins on December 4 and ends on December 13. For the first time, it will be held online.

The V edition focuses on issues that are included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from a pluralist vision and based on reconciliation and the culture of peace, It takes into account the authoritarian drift spreading around the world and the events of the pandemic.


Human rights are threatened in Spain and in the rest of the world, due to the democratic, economic, social, political, environmental and health crisis, to which is added the one derived from the pandemic. The Film Festival will screen films about the situation caused by covid-19, seeking the hope of humanity.

This year’s programming has selected more than 50 films. The Official Section is divided into Full-length Feature Films, Medium-length Films, Fiction Short Films and Documentary Short Films.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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As a result of the diversity of the works, the Festival will add topics on social conflicts, disability, the elderly, culture of peace, women’s rights in the world, intolerance and extremism, development and cooperation projects, children’s rights, immigration, poverty, etc.

The films will be open and free on the festival website online for 10 days.

The Jury for the Official Section includes personalities such as Sécun de la Rosa, known for his television and film work as a comedian actor, Aida Folch, known for her role as Françoise Alcántara in the television series Cuéntame como pasa, and Mario Marzo, actor and pianist known for playing Lucas in Los Protege, among others. Click here for the rest of the jury.

Films:

The state of Texas and Melissa: directed by Sabrina Van Tassel. Her name is Melissa Lucio and for more than 10 years she has been waiting for her fate on death row. Melissa was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas.

Under fire: directed by Sjoerd van Grootheest and Irene Vélez Torres. A group of peasant coca growers in southwestern Colombia watch the peace process break down. Over the course of three years it is shown how they survive in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

The Conscience of Clothing – Directed by Patrick Kohl. Fashion blogger Willy Iffland and journalist Helen Fares travel to Cambodia, where they meet workers, factory owners and union activists campaigning for fair wages.

Behind the blood: directed by Loretta van der Horst. Behind the blood shows the true story of a man fighting rampant gang violence in Honduras.

Click here to consult the rest of the program.

Germany Culture of Peace Weekend December 4-6

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Information received by email from the Kultur des Friedens Society (translated by CPNN from the German original)

Webinar December 4
The role of the US – AFRICOM, Stuttgart with representatives from the USA and various African countries.

Nationwide day of action December 5, 2020, DISARMING INSTEAD OF ARMING! NEW POLICY NOW! I.


Photo from the website of abruesten.jetzt.

On Saturday, December 5th, 2020, 1.30 p.m., Marktplatz Stuttgart, CALL with Jürgen Wagner (Militarization Information Center Tübingen)
Henning Zierock (Society for Culture of Peace) Sidar Carman (ver.di District Stuttgart) Ekkehard Rössle Duo (on saxophone and drums)
Information on the nationwide day of action, https://abruesten.jetzt/

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Question for this article:

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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We demand: an immediate stop in the procurement of armaments, a reduction in the defense budget, and an increase in social spending in the areas of housing, health and education
No purchase of armed drones Signing of the nuclear weapons ban treaty by the federal government, building a partnership relationship with China and Russia Eucom and Africom close – creating social housing, extensive investments in climate protection
Organizer: FRIEDENSTREFF Stuttgart-Nord Supporters: DFG-VK Stuttgart, DGB Stuttgart, DIDF Stuttgart, DIE LINKE Stuttgart, DKP Fellbach, DKP Stuttgart, FRIEDENSTREFF Cannstatt, Society Culture of Peace, IPPNW Stuttgart, Naturfreunde Stuttgart, Life Without Armor, Pirate Party Stuttgart, SÖS Stuttgart, Ver.di district of Stuttgart, Waldheim Stuttgart eV / Clara Zetkin House, future forum of the Stuttgart trade unions

On the day of action there is an alliance of the peace and refugee movement to show solidarity with refugees on Saturday December 5th. at 3 p.m., Tübinger Platanenallee
followed by a demonstration “Moria is not forgotten. Evacuate the refugee camps”. Speeches, etc. of the culture of peace and the anti-rig alliance of Tübingen
especially about the connection between armament, militarization and the cause of flight war.

December 6, 2 pm. “Freedom for Julian Assange” rally on December 6th, 2020 at 2 pm on the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart.

Save Julian Assange’s life! Stuttgart Peace Prize Laureate 2020 Julian Assange’s clock is ticking – on January 4th, 2021 the verdict on his impending extradition from London
to the USA. Call for a worldwide rally from Stuttgart:
Die AnStifter, The nationwide vigils for Julian Assange (freeassange.eu./Free Assange Committee Germany), Reporters Without Borders, German journalists and
Journalists Union, Society Culture of Peace, pax christi, Chaos Computer Club Stuttgart, Amnesty International Stuttgart, EcolLeaks, “Art Action” Anything to say ”
Link to the rally on Sunday, December 6th, 2020 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDD77Z9agEM&feature=youtu.be

The people of France : No to a police state!

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

Photos by Dea Drndraska (Reproduced by permission)

This week again, like one week ago, the people of France have clearly indicated that they don’t want the new law proposed by the Macron government for “sécurité globale” a measue that would penalize the diffusion of photos of the police. Here are some of their signs from the demonstration in Paris on 28 November.















Click here for the French version)















Iceland moved from oil to geothermal in only 12 years

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ..

An article from Electric Energy Online

When the oil crisis struck in the early 1970s, the world market price for crude oil rose by 70%. At the same time, heat from oil served over 50% of the population in Iceland.  The oil crises caused Iceland to change its energy policy, reducing oil use and increasing domestic energy resources, such as hydropower and geothermal.


Iceland’s giant geothermal plants

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Question for this article:

Are we making progress in renewable energy?

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This policy meant exploring new geothermal resources and building new heating utilities across the country. Due to the urgency and constructive cooperation, it took only 12 years to decrease oil for heating from 50% 1973 to 5% 1985. This involved transforming household heating systems from oil to geothermal heat, based on constructive cooperation between the state, cities, municipalities and private partners.

This proves that big transformation can happen within countries in short period of time based on cooperation. That is a lesson that can be useful to everyone to fight the climate crises today.

France: Thousands protest against bill to curb filming of police

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article from DW Akademie

Several thousand people marched in French cities on Saturday to protest a draft law that would make it a crime to circulate an image of a police officer’s face with the intention that they be harmed, in a move condemned as an afront to press freedom.


The largest gathering was at the Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Journalist groups, as well as the Yellow Vest and Extinction Rebellion movements, and demonstrators waving flags of the communist and green parties attended the protests.

Thousands of protesters chanted “Freedom, freedom” and “Everyone wants to film the police.” Some also held signs that read: “We’ll put down our phones when you put down your weapons.”

Similar demonstrations took place in Marseille, Lille, Montpellier, Rennes, Saint-Etienne and Nice.

Supporters of the law say police officers and their families need protection from harassment, both online and in-person when off duty. Opponents say the law would infringe journalists’ freedom to report, and make it harder to hold police accountable for abuses such as excessive use of force.

Offenders would face a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a €45,000 ($53,000) fine.

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Click here for an article on this subject in French)

Questions related to this article:

How effective are mass protest marches?

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‘A green light for the worst elements’

Edwy Plenel, chief editor of the investigative news website Mediapart, said the proposed legislation was a “green light for the worst elements in the police.”

“Those in power are increasingly trying to prevent citizens, journalists and whistleblowers from revealing the failures of the state. When this happens, democracy fades away,” said Plenel.

“We are not here to defend a privilege of our profession, press freedom and journalists’ freedom. We are here to defend fundamental rights, the rights of all people,” he added.

The Office of the UN High commissioner for Human Rights, and France’s human rights ombudsman, have also voiced concerns that the draft law could undermine fundamental rights.

In response to widespread criticism, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the measure would be amended to specify that it “won’t impede the freedom of information” and that it will focus only on images broadcast with “clear” intent to harm a police officer.

However, critics say the amendment does not go far enough. Emmanuel Poupard, secretary-general of the National Journalists Union (SNJ), said that he thinks the new amendment still “doesn’t change anything.”

The law “has only one goal: to boost the sense of impunity of law enforcement officers and make invisible police brutality,” said Poupard.

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the bill on Tuesday.

In July, three French police officers were charged with manslaughter over the death of a delivery man, Cedric Chouviat, that bystanders caught on video. Chouviat’s death had similarities with the killing of George Floyd in the United States, which sparked mass protests around the world, including in France.

France: Youth in Normandy Mobilize for Human Rights and the Freedom Prize

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

Special to CPNN from Gwenaëlle Beauvais, Territorial Director, UNIS CITE Normandie (translation by CPNN)

For more than 20 years, the Unis Cité association has mobilized young people, in teams and in diversity, to carry out missions of general interest. The goal of these young people: is to find meaning by making themselves useful to others, to find their place in their relations with different people and opinions, to train and gain self-confidence.

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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This year, in Normandy, 48 volunteers are mobilizing to meet with high school students across the region to raise awareness about Human Rights and Freedom. They are trained by the Institute of Human Rights and supported by the Regional Council to initiate debates with the pupils, to make them think and to support their engagement within the framework of the initiative Freedom Prize.

This program allows young people to speak freely and, thanks to the exchange between peers, to promote the initiative and expression of high school students in the region. It is part of a unique system , the Freedom Prize, which invites young people aged 15 to 25 from Normandy, other regions of France and internationally, to nominate each year a person or an organization engaged in a recent fight and exemplary in favor of freedom.

Recent winners of the Freedom Prize have been :
— 2019: Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist committed to the fight against global warming
— 2020: Loujain Al Hathloul, Saudi women’s rights activist

(Click here for the original French version of this article)